Most Popular Books by Steven ERIKSON

Before the Malazan Empire, there was a time that set the stage for all those tales yet to be told . . . The winter is bitter. Civil war threatens Kurald Galain for the warrior Urusander’s army has begun its march on the city of Kharkanas. Led by the ruthless Hunn Raal, it intends to cast aside Mother Dark’s consort, Draconus, and set Urusander himself on the throne beside the Living Goddess. Those who would stand in the way of the rebels lie scattered and weakened – leaderless since Anomander went in search of an estranged brother. In his stead, Silchas Ruin resolves to gather the Houseblades of the Highborn families to him, and to resurrect the legendary Hust Legion, but time is not on his side. Far to the west, an unlikely army musters. It seeks an enemy without form, in a place none can find. And yet Hood’s call has been heard and the long-abandoned city of Omtose Phellack is now home to a rabble of new arrivals: Dog-Runners from the south, Jheck warriors, and blue-skinned strangers from across the Western Sea have come to offer Hood their swords. From the distant mountains and isolated valleys of the North, Thel Akai arrive to pledge themselves in this seemingly impossible war. Soon, they will set forth with weapons drawn under the banners of the living in pursuit of Death itself. Such events presage chaos, and now magic bleeds into this realm. Unconstrained, mysterious and savage, it begins to run loose and wild and following its scent, seeking the places of wounding and hurt – new and ancient entities gather. In a world becoming rotten with sorcery, can honour truly exist?

A whimsical space-opera spoof follows the misadventures of foolish but exceedingly cocksure Captain Hadrian Sawback and his motley crew aboard the starship Willful Child as they plant the Terran flag on subjugated alien worlds.

The first three tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, the famed necromancers from the Malazan Book of the Fallen, collected in one volume. BLOOD FOLLOWS In the port city of Lamentable Moll, a diabolical killer stalks the streets and panic grips the citizens like a fever. As Emancipor Reese''s legendary ill luck would have it, his previous employer is the unknown killer''s latest victim. But two strangers have come to town and they have posted in Fishmonger''s Round a note, reeking of death-warded magic, requesting the services of a manservant... THE HEALTHY DEAD The city of Quaint''s zeal for goodness can be catastophic, and no one knows this better than Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, two stalwart champions of all things bad.The homicidal necromancers - and their substance-addled manservant, Emancipor Reese - find themeselves ensnared in a scheme to bring goodness into utter ruination. Sometimes you must bring down civilization...in the name of civilization. THE LEES OF LAUGHTER''S END After their blissful sojourn in Lamentable Moll, the sorcerors Bauchelain and Korbal Broach - along with their manservant, Emancipor Reese -set out on the open seas aboard the sturdy ship Suncurl. Alas, there''s more baggage in the hold than meets the beady eyes of the crew, and unseemly terrors awaken. For Bauchelain, Korbal Broach and Emancipor Reese, it is just one more night on the high seas, on a journey without end. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

In Northern Genabackis, just before the events recounted in GARDENS OF THE MOON, a raiding party of savage tribal warriors descends from the mountains into the southern flat lands. Their intention is to wreak havoc among the despised lowlanders, but for the one named Karsa Orlong it marks the beginning of what will prove an extraordinary destiny. Some years later, it is the aftermath of the Chain of Dogs. Coltaine, revered commander of the Malazan 7th Army is dead. And now Tavore, elder sister of Ganoes Paran and Adjunct to the Empress, has arrived in the last remaining Malazan stronghold of the Seven Cities to take charge. Untested and new to command, she must hone a small army of twelve thousand soldiers, mostly raw recruits, into a viable fighting force and lead them into battle against the massed hordes of Sha''ik''s Whirlwind. Her only hope lies in resurrecting the shattered faith of the few remaining survivors from Coltaine''s legendary march, veterans one and all. In distant Raraku, in the heart of the Holy Desert, the seer Sha''ik waits with her rebel army. But waiting is never easy. Her disparate collection of warlords - tribal chiefs, High Mages, a renegade Malazan Fist and his sorceror - is locked in a vicious power struggle that threatens to tear the rebellion apart from within. And Sha''ik herself suffers, haunted by the private knowledge of her nemesis, Tavore...her own sister. So begins the awesome new chapter in Steven Erikson''s MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN - an epic novel of war, intrigue, magic and betrayal from a writer regarded as one of the most original, imaginative and exciting storytellers in fantasy today.

After decades of warfare, the tribes of the Tiste Edur have at last united under the rule of the Warlock King. But peace has been exacted at a terrible price - a pact made with a hidden power whose motives are at best suspect, at worst deadly. To the south, the expansionist kingdom of Lether has devoured all of its less-civilised neighbours with rapacious hunger. All save one - the Tiste Edur. But Lether is approaching a long-prophesied renaissance that it will take it from a kingdom and lost colony to an empire reborn - and has fixed its gaze on the rich lands of the Tiste Edur. It would seem inevitable that the tribes will surrender, succumbing to the suffocating weight of gold, or to slaughter at the edge of a sword. Or so Destiny has decreed. A pivotal treaty between the two sides nears, but unknown ancient forces are awakening. For the impending struggle between these two peoples is but a pale reflection of an altogether more profound, primal battle - a confrontation driven by a still-raw betrayal and a craving for vengeance. War and confrontation, magic and myth collide in this, the stunning fifth chapter in Steven Erikson''s magnificent The Malazan Book of the Fallen - a series hailed as an epic of the imagination and a classic work of high fantasy.

The Devil Delivered: In the breakaway Lakota Nation, in the heart of a land blistered beneath an ozone hole the size of the Great Plains of North America, a lone anthropologist wanders the deadlands, recording observations that threaten to bring the world''s powers to their knees. Revolvo: In the fictitious country of Canada, the arts scene is ruled by technocrats who thrive in a secret, nepotistic society of granting agencies, bursaries, and peer review boards, all designed to permit self-proclaimed artists to survive without an audience. Fishing with Grandma Matchie: A children''s story of a boy tasked with a writing assignment becomes a stunning fantastical journey with his tale-spinning grandmother.

The intrepid necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach - scourges of civilization, raisers of the dead, reapers of the souls of the living, devourers of hope, betrayers of faith, slayers of the innocent and modest personifications of evil - have a lot to answer for and answer they will, but first they must lie, murder and cheat their way through three more escapades in some of the harsher fringes, deprived wastelands and impoverished communities of the Malazan Empire. Much to the shame of their long-suffering general factotum, Emancipoor Reese... Here then - for readers'' delectation and entertainment - are those escapades, namely the novellas The Wurms of Blearmouth, The Crack''d Pot Trail and The Fiends of Nightmaria . . .

The necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach - reapers of the souls of the living, devourers of hope and modest personifications of evil - have a lot to answer for And answer they will. But first they must lie, murder and cheat their way through three more escapades in some of the more deprived fringes and impoverished communities of the Malazan Empire. Much to the shame of their long-suffering general factotum, Emancipoor Reese . . . Here then - for readers'' delectation and entertainment - are those escapades, namely the novellas The Crack''d Pot Trail, The Wurms of Blearmouth and The Fiends of Nightmaria . . .

Things are going all too well in the city of Quaint. So well, in fact, that something has to be done. The zeal for goodness can be catastrophic, and no-one knows this better than Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, two stalwart champions of all things bad. For the innumerable citizens of Quaint, driven to neurotic distraction and overwhelmed with good living, desperation breeds nefarious bed-mates, and before long the two homicidal necromancers — and their beleaguered and substance-addled manservant, Emancipor Reese — find themselves ensnared in a scheme to bring goodness into disrepute, if not utter ruination. To Reese''s bemusement, laudable motivations are, in a bizarre twist, uncharacteristically relevant to Master Bauchelain, although, of course, the payment of a chest filled with gold helps. Even so, sometimes, it turns out, one must bring down civilization... in the name of civilization. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

BLOOD FOLLOWS - In the port city of Lamentable Moll, a diabolical killer stalks the streets and panic grips the citizens like a fever. As Emancipor Reese''s legendary ill luck would have it, his previous employer is the unknown killer''s latest victim. But two strangers have come to town, and they have posted in Fishmonger''s Round a note, reeking of death-warded magic, requesting the services of a manservant. THE LEES OF LAUGHTER''S END - After their blissful sojourn in Lamentable Moll, the sorcerers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach - along with their manservant, Emancipor Reese - set out on the open seas aboard the sturdy ship Suncurl. Alas, there''s more baggage in the hold than meets the beady eyes of the crew, and unseemly terrors awaken. For Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, and Emancipor Reese, it is just one more night on the high seas, on a journey without end. THE HEALTHY DEAD - The city of Quaint''s zeal for goodness can be catastrophic, and no one knows this better than Bauchelain and Korbal Broach, two stalwart champions of all things bad. The homicidal necromancers - and their substance-addled manservant, Emancipor Reese - find themselves ensnared in a scheme to bring goodness into utter ruination. Sometimes you must bring down civilization...in the name of civilization.

The second novel in Erikson''s stunning Tale of Witness trilogy, in which a god''s bastard son cuts a bloody swathe through the forces of the Malazan Empire in order to take revenge on his father . . . Acclaim for The God is Not Willing: ''Awe-inspiring. Prepare to fall in love with epic fantasy all over again.'' ANNA SMITH SPARK, author of The Court of Broken Knives ''As good as I expected it to be . . . Erikson continues to showcase his talents as an impressive wordsmith . . . mesmerising and memorable. Add to this intense battles, witty banter, advanced warfare, new curses, new gods, and escapades with warrens and this world''s supernatural and you''ll see why I had such a good time.'' GRIMDARK magazine ''It is beautiful, it is captivating and utterly enthralling . . . Erikson is unparalleled in both the scope of his imagination and the talent of his prose, but more importantly, he is as insightful and funny as Terry Pratchett ever was.'' FANTASY BOOK REVIEW ''Erikson at the top of his game, a lean, sharply honed and powerful addition to what is already in my mind the pre-eminent fantasy universe of the last few decades.'' TOR.COM ''Determined, focused, well-paced and immensely rich novel of war, peace, hubris, consequence, sorcery and compassion . . . this is Erikson bringing his A-game, turned up to 11, and delivering what is comfortably one of his three or four best novels to date.'' THE WERTZONE ''Could be Erikson''s most accessible novel to date . . . a must for all Malazan fans.'' FANTASY HOTLIST ''Erikson burnishes his reputation as a superior epic fantasy world-builder . . . a treat both for his returning readers and lovers of George R.R. Martin-style epic fantasy who have yet to discover his work.'' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *starred review

"Story Behind the Book: Volume 3" collects nearly 40 non-fiction essays from some of the most exciting authors working today. Offering an unique insight into the creative and publishing process, these essay reveal all the beauty, effort and frustration that inevitable comes hand in hand with the urge to write, edit or illustrate. Contributors include Steven Erikson, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Hugh Howey, Richard Kadrey, Rod Rees, Christopher Fowler, Gary Gibson, Eric Brown, Anthony Ryan, Alan Averill, Ian Gibson, Garry Kilworth, Steve Rasnic Tem, Ian R. MacLeod, Cat Sparks, James Everington, Pat Cadigan, Stephen Deas, Jay Kristoff, Peter Roman, Paul Tremblay, Geoffrey Gudgion, Tina Connolly, Joan Frances Turner, Freda Warrington, Beth Bernobich, Jeff Somers, James A. Moore, Ben Jeapes, John R. Fultz, Nick Mamatas, Sean Lynch, Max Gladstone, Karen Sandler, Robert Reed, Roberto Calas, Richard James Bentley, William J. Cobb.

Limited to 500 signed numbered copies.

The Malazan 14th Army is confronted by a rebel force that is holed up in the city of Y''Ghatan and under the fanatical command of Leoman of the Flails, while the acceptance of the Crippled God into the pantheon threatens to cause a schism among the gods.

On the Letherii continent the exiled Malazan army commanded by Adjunct Tavore begins its march into the eastern Wastelands, to fight for an unknown cause against an enemy it has never seen. The fate awaiting the Bonehunters is one no soldier can prepare for, and one no mortal soul can withstand.